Surviving in the Cursed Mansion

Chapter 8: The Guard Dog of the Mansion (2)

The world felt blurry.

As though noise had infiltrated the fabric of space itself, the shapes of objects were faint and distorted.

Amidst this indistinct world, the sound of a beast barking suddenly rang out.

“Woof!”

A dog with fluffy, yellowish fur barked. Its form was so hazy that it could have been mistaken for a lump of yellow fuzz.

It was about the size to lightly touch one’s thigh when standing on all fours. On its hind legs, it might easily lick up to someone’s collarbone.

“Good boy, good boy… Sit, will you?”

The next sound was a woman’s voice.

A lady with bright, wheat-colored hair skillfully calmed the large dog, which promptly rolled over to expose its belly. She petted it gently before handing something to the now-sitting creature wagging its tail.

“Would you like to wear this?”

The woman spoke, but it wasn’t clear who she was addressing.

“… Are you shy? Even in front of a dog? Well, I suppose that’s understandable—this little one loves me the most.”

She hummed softly, awkwardly filling the silence with her off-key tune.

As I absorbed the discordant melody, I noticed a blue object now tied around the dog’s neck.

“You look beautiful!”

“Woof!”

The dog barked cheerfully in response, as though they truly understood one another. The two seemed perfectly in sync.

… For some reason, the sight made my chest churn.

It was nauseating.

The involuntary stirring in my heart felt as though it would pull me back into reality, away from the strange, hazy world.

The indistinct world shattered.

Vanished entirely, as though erased from existence.

I opened my eyes.

It was dawn, a drizzly rain falling under the overcast sky.

The gloomy hallway of the mansion remained marred with scratches, as if clawed apart by some vicious force.

Looking up, I saw that the words engraved on the ceiling were scrawled as if in furious anger:

[Return it!]

A single, childlike demand. Yet it was a request steeped in mystery.

“… I suppose I nodded off.”

It had been a long time since I last experienced sleep. Naturally, it had also been ages since I’d had a dream.

I was reflecting bitterly on my inhuman past when I heard the soft sound of breathing from inside Maid A’s room.

“I wonder how much time she’ll need…”

I hoped Asche could overcome her trauma and rise again soon.

For both our sakes.

***

Morning, Around 10 AM

“Asche…”

Her voice was groggy, half-asleep. Slowly, she stirred and rubbed her eyes.

“I’m here.”

“Mmm…”

“…”

“…”

The conversation abruptly died.

Curious, I peeked through the cracked door. Asche was nodding off repeatedly, her head bobbing forward and snapping back up. Her eyes were almost shut, puffy and swollen.

“Asche.”

“… Huh? Yeah?”

“You look like something Maid C would mock.”

“… Wha—!”

The blunt remark seemed to snap her back to her senses. She immediately glared at me through the crack in the door and hurled a pillow with all her might.

“Don’t look! You lecherous butler spying on a lady’s room…!”

Thwack!

As expected of royal blood, her throw was impressive. The heavy, plush pillow hit the door frame with a force that would have been frightening—if it could have fit through the narrow gap.

‘I’ve already seen her insides yesterday; I can’t fathom why she’s embarrassed by something so trivial now.’

Considering how I’d literally seen her organs during the chaos, her current modesty seemed almost quaint.

Still, she was… uniquely human in that way.

I had thought she’d spend the morning trembling after the night’s events, but to my surprise, she seemed to be regaining her composure.

It was a pleasant miscalculation.

“Butler, you pervert! Are you there?”

“I’m here.”

“Prepare some wash water for me. Oh, and bring me something to change into. Do you have pants?”

“They might be in the servants’ quarters.”

“Okay, that works. Bring them here so I can change.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot open the door. You’ll have to come out yourself.”

“Ugh.”

Her shoulders jerked in visible discomfort. The thought of stepping outside clearly brought back memories of the previous night’s trauma.

After a moment of deliberation, Asche made up her mind.

“Come here, butler.”

***

Asche peeked her head through the cracked door, cautiously scanning the hallway. Unsatisfied, she called out in a low voice.

“Are you sure it’s clear?”

“It is.”

“Alright…”

Hesitantly, she stepped out from Maid A’s room, only to dart behind me like a frightened shadow. Pressing herself tightly to my back, she scanned her surroundings with nervous, darting eyes.

“Hah… hah… Where are the servants’ quarters?”

“Across the lobby.”

“Across the lobby… Don’t tell me…”

“Yes, the area where the beast appeared.”

Freeze.

Asche stopped dead in her tracks.

When I turned to look, her ruby-like eyes were trembling with fear.

“Maybe I’ll just wear the dress after all.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that. Unless you plan to live and die in this mansion, you’ll have to face that beast eventually.”

A dress was far too impractical for overcoming this ordeal. She would do better to discard the corset soon and switch to something like compression bandages.

“Ugh… Fine. If I use you as a human shield, I might be able to buy some time.”

“You’re disturbingly comfortable with the idea of using me as a meat shield.”

“Wh-what else am I supposed to do?! You can’t die anyway!”

“If you’re so frightened, lower your voice. Loud sounds might attract it.”

“Mm!”

The veiled threat worked. Asche fell silent, her complaints replaced with a nervous determination as we made our way to the servants’ quarters without incident.

I selected some suitable clothing and handed it to her. As she changed into the pants, I buttoned her shirt for her one by one.

Gradually, Asche seemed to regain her composure.

Noticing this, I shared the hint displayed in my status window.

It chases the echoes of two people.

The one who gave it something precious.

The one who stole something precious.

Retracing their footsteps, it relives the happiest memories of its life.

Return it.

Return it!

Return the happiness you stole from me!

Reward: Gift Box

Special Reward: The Hunting Dog’s Memory

After reading the message, Asche couldn’t hide her shock.

“A hunting dog…? That thing is supposed to be a hunting dog?! That’s insane…!”

She pulled an item from her leather pouch—a photograph. Though the image was warped and damaged, likely burned by some accident, the shape of a Labrador Retriever stood out.

It was an energetic-looking dog, captured mid-action in the photo.

“… Are you saying this one became that thing? Its entire size and form have completely mutated.”

“I agree, but… trying to apply logic to this mansion is likely a fool’s errand.”

“Ugh, you’re right.”

Plop!

Asche sat on the edge of the bed and fell deep into thought, puzzling over the mystery.

“Then what does it mean by returning happiness? Is it asking us to restore its hideous form to what it used to be…?”

“… I doubt that’s the answer.”

I recalled the words from the status window:

That was the title of the hint given to us. Moreover, the contents clearly revolved around stolen gifts. An abstract resolution seemed unlikely.

“It’s probably telling us to search the mansion for whatever it had stolen.”

In other words, this was a high-stakes treasure hunt, the first game this cursed mansion had presented to Asche.

“Tsk. Whoever took whatever it lost, I’m not letting them get away with it! I’ll pay them back a hundred—no, a thousand times over for what I’ve gone through!”

“I’m glad to see your determination returning.”

“Do I have a choice? Like that arrogant butler said, there’s no way I’m going to live and die in this decrepit, rundown mansion.”

Though her resolve was clumsy, she made her intent clear.

Encouraged by her determination, I proposed a strategy.

“Asche.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s avoid splitting up from here on out.”

***

In the Middle of a Silent Hallway

Asche treaded cautiously, her nerves frayed as she moved through the corridor.

The butler was nowhere nearby.

The absence of another’s presence was unnervingly disconcerting. She already wanted to fling open the nearest door and hide inside.

Whenever her fear threatened to overwhelm her, Asche recalled her conversation with the butler.

[The creature I encountered seemed quite sluggish. If it hadn’t been a surprise attack, even your reflexes would have been enough to dodge it.]

[How can you be so sure…?]

[I’m certain because I tested it directly.]

The hunting dog hadn’t even seemed aware of the butler’s presence. 

Despite having torn into Asche, it hadn’t once turned its attention toward him.

Even when the butler’s hand was slick with saliva from the beast’s gaping jaws, it hadn’t reacted.

It wasn’t until he physically touched the beast that it displayed any hostility, roaring with malice.

[I suspect there’s something wrong with its sensory organs. Its eyes are missing, and its ears have been torn off. That would mean it primarily relies on…]

[Its sense of smell!]

[Correct.]

It was a hypothesis, but one that seemed credible.

This was why Asche had agreed to the butler’s plan.

If the butler encountered the hunting dog first, he could provoke it and buy time. His undying nature made this feasible.

If Asche encountered it first, she’d use her innate physical abilities as a royal to flee to Maid A’s room.

By repeating this process, they’d search for the “happiness” the creature had supposedly lost.

Still, her anxiety was unavoidable.

This time, there were no coins left.

The opportunity for resurrection had already been spent in this unjust game.

… Yes, an unjust game.

There was no better way to describe it.

After all, if there were even a shred of fairness, she wouldn’t have encountered the creature so soon.

Thud, thud!

The floor vibrated.

The sound carried the weight of something massive.

Moments later, a grotesque beast lumbered into view from around the corner ahead.

“… Damn it.”

At last, Asche’s refined lips gave way to a vulgar curse.